1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rolling element of a tripod joint, and also relates to a tripod joint that has at least one rolling element, wherein the rolling element has a housing having at least a first and a second housing part and a housing inner body, and has rolling bodies that are designed to support mutually opposing raceways of a joint outer part of the tripod joint. The housing inner body of the housing additionally has a receptacle opening for supporting a journal of a tripod star of the tripod joint.
2. Description of the Background Art
Using tripod joints, it is possible to transmit a torque from an input shaft to an output shaft. The axes of the shafts can enclose an obtuse angle together with one another when tripod joints are used. A tripod joint has an inner part and an outer part, with each part being connected to one of the two shafts. The rolling bodies of the tripod rolling elements bring about the transmission of force between the two shafts. The rolling bodies rest against running surfaces of the tripod rolling elements and also against running surfaces of the joint outer parts. The rolling bodies can be held on the tripod rolling elements by means of roller cages. Oftentimes, a certain manufacturing-related distance exists between the rolling bodies of the tripod rolling elements and the running surfaces of the outer part of the tripod joint. Consequently, the rolling bodies do not continuously contact the running surfaces of the outer part of the tripod joint. This can lead to noise generation, especially in the event of a change in the direction of load of the input shaft.
From DE 10 2007 059 378 A1, which is incorporated herein by reference, a tripod rolling element is known in which the housing of the rolling element is made of multiple parts, and the housing parts of the housing are braced against the housing inner body of the housing by multiple elastically resilient elements. In this way, the rolling bodies are pressed against the associated raceways on the outer part of the tripod joint.
In the conventional art, in which multiple elastically resilient elements brace the housing parts against the housing inner body, it is complicated to produce, however, and places stringent requirements on precision of implementation. Moreover, the multiple elastically resilient elements represent a difficulty in assembling the tripod rolling element.